


The Rat Princess

by Gothicwings94



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Evenutally, F/M, Friends to Lovers, I'm Bad At Summaries, Lots of Angst, Original Character(s), Reader/OC will have name, Slow Burn, all the characters will appear, original stuff mixed with canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-06 02:37:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20499491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothicwings94/pseuds/Gothicwings94
Summary: As leader of the Civil Corps, Arlo has had many close calls before. When investigating Portia's thefts however, he is led into a dangerous situation, with no way out. Two questions plague his mind.How can he escape?&Can he trust the 'Rat Princess'?





	The Rat Princess

**Author's Note:**

> At this time, I still haven't beaten the game yet. I'm waiting for a new update for the switch version to fix certain issues I still have with the game. So if you do leave a comment, please don't spoil!

The town thief was becoming more of an issue each day that passed. Some residents have become distrustful of others, keeping to themselves. If this continues, Portia residents could turn on one another and things could escalate to violence.

As leader of the Civil Corps, Arlo had to find this thief fast and bring them to justice. Luckily, they got a tip of some strange figures near the gate of the Collapsed Wasteland. So he, along with Sam and Remington, headed towards the area to investigate. Just as they arrived though, Marco, the new builder, left through some makeshift entrance. 

Arlo called out to him, "Marco! What are you doing in there!?" 

The man quickly explained what had transpired, from placing the battery to his victory over the Rat Prince. As his team congratulated the builder, Arlo grew worried. Marco did a great job getting rid of those Bandirats and their leader, but who knows how many could still be in there hiding. 

He sent Marco to the mayor to explain everything and rest up. Once he left, Remington let out a low whistle, "Not everyday a civilian takes on that many Bandirats and comes back to tell the tale." 

Sam nodded, "No kidding, that guy's no push over. I gotta spar with him sometime." 

"Focus guys, we still gotta comb this place out," Arlo spoke, heading towards the entrance. 

He heard them both following behind. After a few minutes of walking, Arlo heard some rustling. He placed a fist in the air, causing both Sam and Remington to stop. He waited, listening for the movement again. He didn't have to wait long. The same sound happened again, near the curve of the tunnel. He opened his fist, waving the signal to move forward. 

As he crept, he slowly drew his blade. He heard the others draw their weapons as he came to the curve. He looked around the bend, noticing three Bandirats in the center of the room. He placed three fingers up and waved them forward. Silently, they moved towards the monsters. Halfway into the room, Arlo heard a dark crackle behind him. Quickly, he looked behind him.

A gray Bandirat stood behind him and grinned. Before he could alert his team the monster snapped its claws, the sound of breaking glass being accompanied by the disappearance of the light. "It's a trap!" Arlo called out, hearing more Bandirats surround the trio. 

"Withdraw your weapons!" He commanded, knowing it would make the fight harder but stopping one of them from getting accidentally stabbed. The Bandirats rushed forward, drawing their pipes and screeching. 

He wasn't sure of how many he was fighting or how far away Sam and Remington were, but what he did know was that they were at a big disadvantage. Yet, even outnumbered and basically blind, Arlo kept his ground and listened for the monsters, striking them down quickly. If they could last long enough, the mayor would send for backup. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one he had. 

Suddenly he felt a small stab to his side, grabbing hold of the object to realize it was some sort of dart. He began to fall, his legs no longer listening to his mind. He could still hear though, and heard an order from one of the Bandirats.

"Grab the fire mane male!" 

He felt claws on his back and he was picked up. Before he could even call for his friends, blackness soon encased him.

________

The first thing to come back to him was sound. He could hear voices, though he couldn't make out the words. He tried to open his eyes, finding success but seeing only blurry images. Soon both his hearing and sight became clear. He was in a circular room, both the walls and floor made of uneven stone. He was tied to a pole in the center of the room; he tried moving but he couldn't budge from the spot. Bandirats surrounded him, all screaming for his death.

"Kill him!"

"Kill the murderer!"

"Feed him to our young!"

_ 'Damn! This isn't good,' _ Arlo thought. He didn't want to admit it, but he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

"SILENCE!" 

The Bandirats around him became quiet. The gray Bandirat from before came forward. Arlo could see he was hunched over, his rags hanging loosely on his frame. Despite the situation he was in, Arlo was grateful they still covered his privates. The monster had a scar over his left eye, a milky white that contrasted to the pure black of the other. He grabbed Arlo's chin, the ginger giving him a deadly glare in return. 

The Bandirat's expression remained neutral, "The king will decide his fate."

Loud footsteps came from behind Arlo, making the hair on his arms stand up. From his side view, large white sweatpants came to his side. Walking forward, a massive Bandirat stood before Arlo. Despite his blue shirt being comically too small for his huge frame, he stood confidently. His golden crown and matching cape clued Arlo in that this was the Rat King.

The Rat King glared down at him, “You truly thought you could escape my wrath?” 

Arlo remained silent, which turned out to be the wrong response. The Rat King grabbed his hair, pulling Arlo’s head up as the Rat King lowered his body. 

The Rat King’s face contorted into fury, spitting out, “You have nothing to say for your crime!? NOTHING!?”

Before Arlo could even think of responding, another Bandirat came into view. “Your Majesty, this ain’t the right human!” 

“What? You said it was the fire mane male. This is the only one that was there!” The gray one spoke, confusion clear in his tone. 

The Bandirat shook his head, “Yes, but that is not the right one!” 

Finally, Arlo understood what this was about. They confused him with Marco, who had killed the Rat Prince. 

The Rat King released his head and began pacing. The gray Bandirat began following the king and spoke up, “Regardless, his kind are nothing but trouble for us. We can use him to send a message to your son’s murderer!” 

The Rat King stopped walking, causing the gray Bandirat to bump into him, “No, I only wanted my son’s murderer. We will release him back to his kind.” 

The crowd began to hiss at this, but that soon stopped with the Rat Kings growl. Inwardly, Arlo breathed a sigh of relief. Despite how bad his situation had looked, he was going home.  _ ‘I’ve got one hell of a report to write,’  _ he chuckled to himself.

“Your Majesty!” Another Bandirat came from the crowd, breathing heavily. He rested his hands on his knees and said, “The Princess,  _ she’s coming!” _

The Rat King's eyes widened, quickly looking back to Arlo. “Gag him and hide him! Now!” The King ordered.

The gray Banidrat rushed forward, gagging him with a cloth that soon was tied around his face. The Bandirats grabbed at him, trying to move Arlo without undoing the knots that kept him on the pole. Arlo tried to break free once more, but he still couldn’t budge. The Bandirats were having as much difficulty trying to move the pole, no doubt placing it too deep into the rock below. They gave up quick and simple placed a large cloth over him, but the way they placed it still left his right eye uncovered. The Rat King noticed this and reached to correct it.

“Father!” A female voice rung out.

He quickly lowered his paw and spoke softly, “You should be in your room, daughter.” His tone shocked Arlo. He had never heard a Bandirat speak so gently. He heard faint footsteps come closer, till a new figure appeared in front of him. Arlo’s eyes widened, unsure if what he was seeing was real.

The daughter of the Rat King was a  _ human  _ woman.

She wore a long cloth over black shorts, leaving one of her legs uncovered. The color of the cloth matched the Rat King's cape and the golden tiara on her head. Her ebony gloves were fingerless and reached to her elbows, like how her matching boots went to her knees . Her midriff was showing as her deep blue crop top didn’t cover that section of skin. She was attractive, but what Arlo couldn’t stop staring at was the strange blue gem that hung low over her shirt. It was both flat and diamond shaped, but Arlo could tell it wasn’t made to be like that. The only thing that was made was the golden necklace that it was attached to.

She spoke, her voice quivering as her eyes watered, “But Father I heard…..I heard...that b-brother, he…” She stopped, tears streaming down her face. 

The Rat King remained silent, only lowering himself to pick up the crying woman and hold her close. She wailed into his shoulder, the Rat King only responding by tightening his grip on her as he nuzzled her side. He placed her back on the ground once she stopped, though she still sniffled. 

When she spoke again, her sorrowful tone was replaced with one of fury, “It was the surface dwellers, wasn’t it?”

“One of them, yes,” the Rat King answered, his eyes darting quickly to Arlo. 

The woman clenched her fist as spat out, “One surface dweller took down  _ my  _ brother! Do they think they can get away with such a crime? I swear Father, I will find who did this and-”

“You will not.” The Rat King stated. 

Though his tone wasn’t angry, the woman jolted, probably from shock. She lowered her head and mumbled out, “But...Father...they can not get away with what they did.” 

He placed a paw on her shoulder, “And he will. I will personally find whoever did this atrocity and kill him myself, but you must stay here where it is safe. I could not bear the grief from losing you as well.” 

The woman looked up, her eyes clear but her expression still sorrowful. She nodded to the creature and hugged him once more, the Rat King gently placing a paw on her head. She released him and looked up, “Do you have a plan, Father?” 

The Rat King’s eyes darted to Arlo once again, “Not at this moment, but rest assured both Shaman and I will deliberate carefully on this matter.” 

The gray Bandirat nodded, “Yes, you have nothing to worry about Princess!” 

The woman wasn’t looking at the Shaman though. When the Rat King had glanced at Arlo, she followed his line of sight. 

She was now looking at Arlo.

The Rat King saw this and started to lightly lead her away, “Now Daughter, you should go to your room so-” 

The woman darted under his arm and interrupted him, “Who is that, Father?” 

The Rat King’s whiskers twitched, his anxiety leaking into his voice, “O-oh, him? A thief from another clan we caught stealing our food. No one for you to worry about.” 

The woman stepped closer to Arlo, who only blinked at the advance. Before the Rat King could stop her, she grasped the cloth and pulled it off.

Coming face-to-face with Arlo.

For a moment, the woman was still, shock clear on her face. Arlo wasn’t sure how she would react once the shock wore off. He had tried to escape his binds twice, both times failing. He couldn’t even _ say  _ anything to alleviate the situation. Arlo had no idea how she would react, if she would attack him or not. All he could really do was wait and hope the Rat King would stop her and keep his word of releasing him back to his people. He wasn’t sure how much worth to put in a monsters words though.

The woman blinked twice, then grinned widely, “You….you look like  _ me!” _ Arlo squinted, his confusion evident on his face. He looked at the Rat King, noting that the Bandirat’s eyes were wide and his whiskers were twitching rapidly. He’s seen that face on plenty of Bandirats right before slaying them. The Rat King was  _ terrified _ .

The woman was ecstatic, quickly placing her hands on Arlo’s face, “I can not believe this!” She started feeling his ears, “Same disfigured ears!” She placed one hand on Arlo’s nose, using two fingers to spread his nostrils more open. The man moved his head away from the intrusion, looking at the woman as if she was insane. It didn’t bother her, “Same misshapen nose." She caressed his beard, a thoughtful look briefly crossing her face, “ You have some fur on your face, but I bet you are still missing massive patches over your body as well!” She looked back at the Rat King, “Father, he has the same illness as I!” Her excitement evaporated once she saw the Bandirats expression, “Father? What is wrong?”

The creature blinked, his mouth growing into a small grin that did not reach his eyes, “I am simply exhausted from the events of today, nothing to worry about Daughter.” 

The woman looked skeptical, but didn’t question the Rat King. She looked back to Arlo, her tone worried when she asked, “How will he be punished?”

_ ‘It wasn’t a question of if, but how’ _ , Arlo noted. He knew the Bandirats were ruthless creatures, but he didn’t think to each other. 

The Rat King walked towards the woman, placing a paw on her shoulder, “His fate is not something for you to fret over.” 

The woman shook her head, looking up towards the creature, “How could I not? He suffers as I from the same illness.” She places a hand over the paw on the shoulder, her tone becoming pleading, “I beg you Father, please spare his life.” The crowd of Bandirats hissed at this statement, but she continued, “I am sure he only stole from us as he had no choice.” She looked down, cusping the gem in both hands. She squeezed it as she said, “Surviving this long as he is, no doubt he did what he had to do to survive.” 

The Rat King stayed silent, simply looking at the woman with deep sorrow. Eventually, he sighed in defeat, “Very well.” 

The woman looked up, hope sparking in her eyes, “Truly?” 

The Rat King picked up the woman, his eyes meeting his as he said, “Yes. We will keep him alive.” 

The woman beamed, nuzzling into the creature’s neck, “Thank you, Father!”

Arlo watched the exchange with a worried gaze, not liking the ‘keep’ part of the statement.

The Rat King placed her down, a soft smile on his face, “Now then, you should go rest Daughter.” The woman didn’t argue, nodding to the Bandirat with a small grin. As she headed towards the tunnel, she glanced back to Arlo. He looked back, uncertain of the strange woman. Her grin grew and she turned forward, leaving in the same tunnel she came from. 

No one said anything until her footsteps became silent, the Shaman softly speaking, “Your Majesty, what will we do with him?”

The Rat King grasped the pole Arlo was attached to, not acknowledging the Bandirat speaking to him. He pulled the pole out with little effort, Arlo jerking at the sudden motion. The Rat King held each end of the pole in each paw, Arlo morbidly thinking how he looked like a human corn on the cob. He inquired out loud, “Have we replaced Washer yet?” 

The Shaman shook his head, “No, your Majesty.”

He hummed, “Then he will be our new Washer.”

Arlo’s eyes widened in shock, he spoke out, “Washer!?”

But no one understood him over the gag.

The Rat King set off down a different tunnel, calling out, “Guards, follow me.” Arlo was facing forward, so he couldn’t see how many Bandirats were following. If he had to guess, he would say something in the double digits. 

Eventually the Rat King stopped in front of a wooden door, a crude drawing of a wash bin and towel on the door. One of the Bandirat guards came forward and opened the door, The Rat King having to squat to get through the door. The room was circular, filled with dirty clothes. A single stool with two large washing bins stood next to a pool of water in the middle of the room. The ceiling had an opening directly over the pool of water; unfortunately the walls were too far away from the hole to climb to it. 

To the left side was a bare mattress, no pillow and only a single blanket on it. The right side held something more promising, a metal chute that looked big enough for Arlo to climb in. The Rat King placed Arlo on the ground and with a quick swipe of his claws, freed Arlo from his ropes. 

Arlo quickly stepped back and got into a fighting stance, looking at the Rat King evenly. The Rat King waved behind him, dismissing the guard that had followed them in. He closed the door behind him and the two of them were left alone.

Arlo huffed out, “Thought you were gonna let me go?” 

The Rat King looked down, a flash of shame crossed his face before being replaced by a mask of neutrality, “That was the plan originally, but unfortunately for you that plan has changed.” 

Arlo clenched his fists, “Why? Just because she said so? What are you doing with a human anyway?” 

The Rat King snarled, “You do not need to know!” 

Arlo took a step back, ‘ _ Doesn't like me asking about her huh...gotta remember that.’ _ Arlo wasn’t sure how she came under the Rat Kings watch, he only knew the circumstances couldn’t have been pleasant. 

The Rat King took a step forward, Arlo bracing himself for an attack. Instead of continuing forward, the Rat King started circling him, “My Daughter knows nothing of the surface world, nor the truth of her birth.” 

A dark smirk crossed Arlo’s face, “Wonder why?”

He expected a rise from the Rat King, at the very least a growl. Instead the Rat King continued on, “This will continue to be true. You will speak nothing of the surface, the human race and you will not tell her you two are actually humans.” 

As the Rat King circled him, Arlo moved away. He was slowly making his way to that chute. Arlo was a few feet away when he responded, “And if I do?” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Rat King pounced. Despite his large size, the creature was actually really fast. Quickly, Arlo ran and dove into the chute. Unfortunately, he was caught by his legs and thrown across the room. Luckily, he landed in one of the piles of laundry. 

The Rat King turned to face him, his expression twisting to one of fury, “ Should you even  _ breathe _ a word of the truth to my Daughter, I will personally rip your limbs off and feed them to my people!”

The Rat King lunged and grabbed Arlo from the pile, slamming him into the wall. Arlo groaned from the pain of hitting his head on the wall, but besides a lump forming, he knew he would be fine. The Rat King snarled, his hot breath hitting Arlo’s face, “Do I make myself clear?”

Arlo simply groaned out, “Yeah, crystal.”

The Rat King released him, Arlo sliding down the wall. Arlo quickly made space between them, giving the creature a deathly glare. The Rat King grabbed one of the shirts from the pile, “You will take these clothes and wash them.” He waved towards the pool, “You will use the water here, as well as the wash bins, scrub, and soap to get all the dirt from every article of clothing.” 

He walked toward the metal chute, speaking louder as he said, “You will put the clean clothes in this chute for Dryer. There is no point in trying to use this chute as a means of escaping, guards will be posted both inside and outside of the Dryer’s room.” Arlo heard scurrying outside the door, realizing The Rat King was speaking louder for the guards to hear. 

_ ‘No doubt that scurrying was them going to their new positions.’ _

Speaking at the same volume, he continued, “Of course you will have guards outside your room as well. Should you attempt an escape, you will be caught and guards will be placed inside your room as well. You will be fed three meals a day with one Bandirat coming in to deliver your food. Should you attack this Bandirat you will lose your food for a set period of time.” 

With that, The Rat King headed to the door. As he started to squat to leave, he stopped and simply said, “If it is any consolation, I am truly sorry,” and without a look back, he left. 

Arlo was finally left alone and he quickly started looking around for anything useful. One wash bin only had a scrub brush and a lot of flowery soap while the other held some clean towels. Arlo shook his head,  _ ‘Nothing useful here.’ _

Arlo kept looking around the room, not finding anything he could use as a weapon or use to help him escape. He did find a bathroom behind a mountain of clothes. It only had a toilet and stunk like a portapotty on a hot summer day, but at the very least it flushed. Arlo was grateful he didn’t have to use it yet. After a while, he sat down on the stool and looked around the room with unease. Arlo was hardly a pessimist, but he couldn't see any way out.

After a while, he picked up each wash bin and dumped their contents on the floor. He looked at the piles surrounding him and with a sigh, he got to work.


End file.
